Angels and Wraiths
by maysecret
Summary: Lost, alone, and unsure of how he got here, Sheppard has to find his way out. But, turns out he's not as alone as he first thought.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This was inspired of the Evanescence song, Missing and after a few twists of my subconscious, this blew out from it. :) Enjoy. The conclusion should be posted tomorrow. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sheppard. Or Atlantis. But I do look off the Golden gate and try to imagine it. That's about the closest I can get to it. :((  
**

Open, wide, and never-ending land spread out from the military issued boots of a soldier. A stiff wind blew through his already tousled hair, sending a small chill up his spine, though he would never admit that there was a bit of apprehension hidden in his shiver. He swung around, trying to take in all his surroundings at once, but unable to decide his location.

"How the heck did I get here, wherever here is?" he muttered to himself, hand slipping to his hip for his holster, hanging empty on the belt. His reaction was to reach for his knife, also missing. Fear sprang into the usually soft hazel eyes, as he spun, mouth falling open from a sense of helplessness. His gaze turned to steely as he assessed if there was any threat, but there was no definition to the vastness engulfing him, just flat and bare nothingness, and seemingly devoid of life. The pale sky offered no color, just whiteness, as if a snow flurry could blow in on a moment's notice. He started walking, but without anything to mark his progress, he felt as if he was marching in place.

"Sheppard." The wind seemed to whisper his name to him. Hunching and looking up in tandem, he couldn't see anything. "Sheppard." It came again, fainter.

"Who's there? Why not come out and face me? And tell me where the hell I am!" The last sentence came out as a command, a bit harsher than he expected, but why play games? That was Teyla's roll. He felt his stomach turn, where was his team? He had stepped through the 'gate with them, but he couldn't remember anything after that.

"They are fine." The voice whispered. "You are fine."

"Then where am I?" He snapped, still spinning to find something.

"You are in your id." The voice developed a fairly female touch to its already ethereal quality.

"Can I at least see who I am talking to?" He stopped searching, for a woman appeared out of thin air and started toward him. "And you are?"

"Seraph." Her hair flowed white and long, not unlike a wraith queen, but Sheppard didn't want to make that comparison. Her features were anything but hideous. Fine featured, the only color to her face was the soft pink of her lips, and the pale blue eyes. Her movements were haunting with the long flowing white fabric dress accentuating her ghostlike qualities.

"Isn't that a type of angel?" he murmured as she stepped gingerly closer to him, stopping half an arm's length away.

"Yes, it is. But that is what you view me as, is it not?" She whispered to him, her breath softly blowing on his face, sweet smelling and, very feminine. She took his hand in hers, gently huffing on it, and only then did he realize how cold he was. When she brought her head up, they were face to face. He felt a desire build up inside of him, and a sardonic thought hit him that at least he was no longer chilled.

Swallowing hard, he looked away, "Where am I?"

Rejection filled those blue eyes, and he felt a knife of pain go through his back and he fell to the ground gasping.

"You are in your id." She expressed, whispering it into his ear.

"I thought that was my unconscious part of my mind."

"And you get closer to the solution to your puzzle." Her smile developed an alluring touch as she leaned down to help him up.

"So you aren't real?" Her arousing touch on his arm felt real enough as she slid it down to his hand.

"I am very real." Sultry and smooth, her lips looked evermore inviting.

A clap of thunder peal rumbled off in the distance, distracting her from him, her face turning away. He caught her chin, kissing her softly. She kissed him back, pressing up against his body and into his arms. Seraph jerked away, her jaw tight and her eyes wide until they rolled back into her head. Collapsing to the ground, her back arched then succumbed to convulsions. Lunging to the ground, he held her in his arms as she foamed and writhed. The pale white sky turned dark and angry as the thunder shook the ground and rain pelted and stung Sheppard's bare skin. It drenched her immediately, soaking through her thin garment. Covering her as much as he could, but open to the bare elements there was nothing he could do but hold her. He felt the hair on the back of his neck raise, a build-up of electricity ready to discharge at any moment. Glancing up, he saw the bold a split-second before he saw nothing.

XXX

Jolting straight up, John Sheppard sat on top of his bed. Breathing hard, he took a second to calm himself, reminding that it was only a dream. Swinging his legs off the bed, he worked his fingers over the edge, gripping and releasing till all the tension slipped away. Glancing over at the side table, he noticed his clock was missing. He looked around the rest of the room, but everything of his was missing, including his Johnny Cash poster. The layout was his room, but an eerie uncertainty came over him. Peeking under the bed, he couldn't find even a dust ball. It was as if it had just been cleaned out.

He looked up for a camera, "Nice try McKay. You got me. Now give it all back." He growled. Silence returned his threat. Stalking out of the room, he hunted down a certain narcissistic scientist. Hearing heavy footsteps and the usual complaining of the grouchy quarry, Sheppard stood, arms crossed, in the center of the hallway, waiting for him to come around the corner.

"Zelekna, you idiot! Why did you rewire the Naquada generator to power the…" he cut off as his radio crackled. "Oh."

Sheppard let all frustration seep away, and put a good-natured grin on as the over-caffeinated man came around the corner, concentrated on his radio and not where he was going, walking right into, no through Sheppard, and out the other side. John spun, mouth dropped open in shock. McKay prattled on, chastising the Czech. Sheppard bolted forward, intentionally trying to collide into him, and kept on going right through him. Stumbling when he didn't stop by the bulk of his friend, he reached to catch himself against the wall. Atlantis supported the brunt of his weight, keeping him from falling down or through the wall. Bouncing up, he tried waving his arms, frantic to get McKay to pay attention to him, but he was invisible.

Standing there, the man who always had a plan of action was baffled. Not even the sound of him smacking the wall was enough to turn McKay's head. An idea snapped into his head, McKay, slightly oblivious, could tune out. What if he was nothing but on a different wavelength, literally? And McKay, being McKay could miss the subtleties of the different playing field. He bolted from the hallway, and darted into the mess hall. Thankfully, he caught the tail end of lunch hour as he ran forward to jump on one of the tables. Instead, he landed lower than he expected, right through the table and, with knees buckling, on the ground. He hollered out, "Hey! I'm here." Waving his hands in the faces of those eating, a memory came flooding back into his mind.

_"Dad!" A 6 year old John stood at the end of his father's desk, "Dad!" The older man stayed tuned out to his child and into his mountain deep paper work. Dejected, he turned and left._

A panic rose to the back of his throat, he had no idea how to make himself visible to the world passing on around him. Stuffing down his feelings, and telling himself that he was over-reacting, he headed slowly up to the control room, trying one last ditch effort. As he made his way to the transport, he heard a whisper.

"Sheppard."

Spinning, he searched around Atlantis for her. Her? She was from a dream, nothing more. Shaking it off, he walked on as a glow illuminated the unlit hallway a few feet ahead. Reaching for his gun, he realized he had no weapons, again.

"Sheppard." The voice developed a more sing-song tone to it, as she came around the corner. "There you are. Why are you hiding from me?" her pale cheeks flushed to the softest of pinks as she glided closer.

"I, uh. Well, I didn't know you were, you know."

"I said I was very real." Hurt shown in her eyes and a spasm of pain shot through his knee, making it give out. He tried to suppress the groan but failed. She stood over him, reaching out a hand.

"You've gotta stop doing that. It hurts."

"You've only hurt yourself." She chided softly, stroking his cheek.

Gently pushing her hand away, he asked, "What's going on?"

"Didn't you know?" Shock cracked her voice as her head tilted, pure surprise etched into her face.

"Know what?" He kept up a guarded position, keeping her from proximity.

"You're ascending."

"Ascended?" His eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Somehow I don't…" his words were cut off as she took his hands in hers and they slowly lifted from the ground, up and through the different levels of Atlantis.

"Why is it that when I hit the wall I didn't go through? How are you doing this?"

She put her finger on his lips. "Shush, it's ok. It's not a bad thing. You must realize that the City of the Ancients is designed to host the Ascended. You'll become accustomed to traveling like one of us, verses the corporeal ways of your past." Her eyes latched onto his, probing for his emotions. He tried to block out fear, to put on his typical bravado, but she caught on too quick.

"Then what was all that before, in my…"

"Your id. You are developing the traits of an Ascended One. But do know that you are not on the same level as the other Ancients. You have a bit to go before then. I am here to guide you." Her face remained neutral, but her eyes sparkled.

"Seraph, I don't want to ascend." He kept his gaze steady and watched as she sucked her cheeks in.

"Look about you." Changing the subject, she pointed all around her. Sheppard finally noticed they were above looking down on the city. With the setting sun, the spire architecture became clearly defined, contrasting the harsh edges with the warm color of the reds and yellows intermingling over the pure blue depths of the sea.

"This? This is home for me. I don't want to leave."

"I was not finished yet." She pulled him along, over the ocean, skimming down to run along the waves. "When one first ascends, they must delve deep into their unconscious; they must face all demons, conquer their fears, and cut themselves off from their ties to the tangible world they formerly inhabited. As they make their ways up the different planes to the complete ascension, the subconscious knowledge they have learned will become more and more complete and readily accessible."

"What if I don't want to ascend?" Sheppard trailed his finger in the water, flicking at a fish drawn up by the thought of a good meal.

Seraph came to a dead halt, surprise and bewilderment etched in the furrows of her pale face. Sheppard, having to keep himself from falling into the water, levitated himself above the water.

"You don't want to ascend? Then why did you start the process?" She whispered, as if not wanting to know the answer, sorrow trimming her words.

"I didn't start the damned process. I can't remember how I got here!" he growled.

Seraph turned away. "You can't reverse the process. You've come too far."

"Wait, I thought you can get kicked out of ascension if…"

She shushed him again. "You must ascend before you descend." Her eyes avoided his as she said this, her posture tensing as she watched several orbs of light approaching. They hovered about 5 yards off, and Seraph tuned in as if they were communicating.

"What's going on? Why can't I understand them?" John had always disliked not knowing what was happening, and not being able to speak "Ascended" was rather irritating. "If I'm ascending, why can't I understand them? I understood Chaya…" He broke off as one of the balls of light came closer, glowing with an incandescent shimmer, with a definite nuance of green. "Shutting up."

"You are strong with the gene of the Ancients. Our kind was wise to pick you to ascend." Its voice reverberated slightly like a radio slightly outside of the signal's range. "The communication between us and you will clear up once you have reached the same level of existence as us, but until then, you will have to suffice with Seraph teaching you."

"Wait, I thought that I have to make the choice to."

"You came to our world, did you not? We do not have time to deal with frivolities. Our existence is threatened by a group of beings you do not know, and we need you. Once ascended, you may choose to go back to your tangible self, and lose all knowledge you will have gained. But for now we need you, Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard. Please help us." Even with the platitudes, there was a growing sense of haughtiness in the phrases.

"So you're saying…"

"I just told you what I said. Why complicate it with simpler sentences? If you are to join us, stop having me reiterate the exact same phrases!" the glowing ball huffed as it backed off, "You do have your work cut out for you, Seraph. Make sure he ascends properly." With that, the glowies, as John then dubbed them, disappeared.

"So where am I?" he turned to face Seraph.

"You catch on quick. You are still in your id. Because you must ascend alone, I must leave you now." She started pulling away, and fading out, turning into a pure white glowie.

"Wait. What do I do now?" He reached out to grab her, and his hand went through her like mist.

"Face your demons." Her voice faded out and she was gone.

John awoke, lying in yet another bed. The sun glinted through the slats of the mini blind covering the bedroom window. The sheet was wrapped around his sweat soaked body, and he went to push the covers away when he realized he was lying in his birthday suit. Hearing the doorknob rattle as someone was entering the room, he snatched up the blankets, hating the vulnerability of his position. He felt heat flare up his neck and onto his cheeks when he saw in the shadows, the silhouette of a woman walk in. As she came into the light, his jaw dropped. Nancy.

"John!" she cried, running over to the edge of the bed, wrapping her arms around him. He moaned as injuries he didn't know he had complained from the pressure from her embrace.

"Are you alright?" she backed off, looking him over. He glanced down at his own body, noticing bruises littering his arms and torso, along with many cuts and minor lacerations. "Oh my god! What happened?"

"I ran into technical difficulties." He gave his signature smile, trying to play down the severity.

"Don't you dare patronize me!" Nancy snapped. "I am your wife, and I care. This wasn't one of your black ops, was it?"

"Training exercise. My buddy fell and I turned back to help him. Tripped and slid down a ridge. Couldn't help it. Clumsy me."

"I know you are lying through your teeth." She turned away, arms crossed. John moved to go to her, but she spun back, eyes flashing. "What kind of government forces its citizens to lie to their spouses?

"Hey, sweetie. I'm sorry. It's"

"National security. Believe me, I know." Her voice cracked, and he saw the tears welling in her eyes. "And I don't think I can handle this anymore."

John pulled the sheet with him as he went to hold her, just to reassure her that he'd always be there for her, that he'd never die. She stayed rigid in his hug as he leaned down to whisper, "I won't leave you."

"But you can't promise that. And that's what scares me. And I don't want to hurt any more. You are more committed to this country than you are to me. Every time the phone rings when you are gone, every time there is a knock at the door, every time I see one of those government issued cars, my heart freezes, my throat tightens. I know you would do anything to any one of your men, and anything for me. But you aren't superman. You aren't invincible. And I don't want to tear your heart too many ways, John." She looked up into his eyes, a tear slipping down her cheek. He brushed it away with his thumb.

"But my heart isn't torn. I love you."

"I know you do."

He pulled her chin up to his, kissing her gently. She kissed him back, it turning more passionate, but then pulled away. "The problem is that I care too much. And I…"

"You're just running." Hurt tore in his heart.

"I figure we do this sooner than later, with less pain. I cannot be a soldier's wife. I'm sorry." Her voice turned brusque with professionalism. Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Seraph appeared in the doorway, her white gown billowing out. She strode over, pulling him away from the frozen Nancy.

"How the hell am I supposed to face my demons, when my wife is breaking up with me again?"

"Your emotions must not be so strong for her. She is gone. You are no longer in the same galaxy. Close your mind to her."

John looked over at the woman with the dirty blonde hair being held still by some unseen physics. His touched her face one last time. "I know. She's married. And I'm in Atlantis. It would never work." Wryly, he smirked, turning around and staring right into Seraph's knowing gaze.

"Alright." Surroundings changed quickly, and Sheppard was standing there with an ARG in hand, shots coming at him. He was staring directly into the brown eyes of Elizabeth Weir.

An unseen Seraph whispered into his mind, "I said, 'let go.'"

"Go." Weir ordered, just like every time he had played it out in his mind. He remembered his thoughts, he couldn't leave her. Not to the fate Oberoth had in mind for her. And he shouldn't bring her. She was riddled with nanites, nanites that could take control of her. Take her away from him, along with everything she had vowed to protect. He hesitates. Maybe, if he stays, he could save her. Rodney will fix it later, he always does. He sees her determination. She knows he must go. Atlantis, and all she represents, is on the verge of being compromised. Sparks fly behind him as they are still shooting. Seraph appears behind her, untouched by the battle surrounding her, marching toward him, past the replicators and Elizabeth. Her blue eyes turned colder than her pale skin as she approached.

"Time just got shorter, you'll have to do it another way." She ordered, grabbing him by the arm, leaving Weir alone, again.

"How am I supposed to do this when you keep interrupting?" he barked, wrenching away from her. "This is my mind, after all. I'm not able to hop dance around my past mistakes and skeletons, then move on. There's a damn good reason they still plague me!"

"The enemy is approaching, and my people need you now." She looked back at him, face softening with fear. Sheppard nodded slowly, noticing they were now in nothingness. Limbo was the term, or purgatory, a smirk crossed his face.

"What do I have to do?" Stuffing back his uncertainty that always came up with he faced emotions, he rubbed the back of his neck as the glowies approached.

"Finish ascension, immediately." The voice reverberated, and Sheppard took three floating steps back. There was no doubt that it was a Wraith queen inside that glowing ball of light, the pure disdain dripping in her tone.


	2. Chapter 2

Seraph stepped in front of him, "He's almost there. I have already encouraged him, continue on your way."

The glowing wraith balls backed away, and Seraph turned to face him.

"What the HELL is going on here!" Sheppard exclaimed, fear tightening his voice, but anger surged past it. "Wraith?"

"I was wondering when you would figure it out."

"Then what are you?" He scornfully looked her up and down.

"As of the immediate present, I am the manifestation of them trying to communicate with your subconscious."

"So you are them?" He shoved her back. "And where the hell am I? Some wraith lab?" He started pacing, mid-air of nothingness.

"No, I told you the truth, you are on the path to ascension." Seraph's cheeks were flushing to a deep pink, fear and anger in her tone.

"What?" He stopped to stare at her.

"See, the Wraith found an ancient device used for ascension. They figured they could move on to the next plane of existence, and continue their war with the Ancients. But they…" her voice trailed off.

"Hit a snag? A snafu?"

"Snafu?"

"Sorry, military term."

"They have ascended but they aren't… on the same level."

"They got off before they were supposed to?"

"They don't know what happened."

"And what am I? Obviously they didn't want me for a midnight snack."

"They figured the one with the strongest ancient gene might lead them the right way. And I am used as the recording device."

"So how do you know all this? Are you real? Like an individual?"

"I don't know what I am. I have no memory before I entered your mind. I just have their knowledge, and all of yours. The issue with you is you don't know how to ascend. So they decided to make you ascend, but sedate you so they could track your brainwaves and such. And use me to transmit the knowledge and the path."

"So do they know I know?"

"No. What I am saying to you is your subconscious figuring these details out, with a slight advantage that the manifestation of your subconscious is connected to wraith technology. You are slightly self-aware, and your mind is processing your surroundings."

"So I am in a wraith lab." He rocked back on his heels, deciding his next move.

"That won't work." Her blue eyes flashed as she read his mind. "You are too heavily sedated to become conscious."

"I don't like you reading my mind. So how do I get out of here?"

"I do not know."

He started to rub the back of his neck, and caught himself. "How do you get out of dreams?"

"Wake up."

"Yes, but how do your dreams usually end? The alarm, right?"

"But you are sedated. How do you set an alarm? Would you not be conscious at that point? Does that not defeat the purpose?"

"Hey, I wasn't finished yet. Does my subconscious really sound like McKay? Don't answer that." He sighed a soft moan before he resumed his pacing. "What if I jump off a cliff? That always jerks me out of a dead sleep."

Seraph opened her mouth, and then clenched it shut.

"What?"

"What if it kills you? You are sedated. What if…"

"I separate my consciousness from myself. It's a risk I gotta take. I can't sit here, weaponless, waiting to ascend."

"But you are on the process of ascension. If you do not.."

"I know. If I don't meet the requirements, I don't ascend, I die. But I am not going to show these damn wraith the way to continue fighting the Ancients. So how do I find a cliff?" Seconds later, he was standing at the very edge of a crumbling granite rock face looking down into the churning waves below. "Oh crap."

Seraph looked up at him, "You wanted one, didn't you?"

"Uh, yeah." He cocked his head, eyeing the ocean and swallowing hard. "I just didn't expect it that…fast?"

"Jump."

"Hey, it's not that easy. It is a very real thing I'm experiencing here. I can't just go sailing off the end of the earth."

"You like to fly."

"Yeah, with an engine strapped to my butt." He took a deep breath, and looked over the edge of the drop-off. "You know, if I don't make it. I gotta say this, my mind created a very pretty image for you."

Seraph turned and blushed.

"I don't know how it works and all, but hey, if you were real. I'd ask you out." He smirked his signature sideways grin. A prick to his finger had him looking down, and seeing a single red rose in his hand. "That's cheating, you know."

"I know." She grinned as he handed it to her.

His eyes widened as a thought hit him square in the forehead. "You said you were a manifestation of them communicating with me. But how do they know the connection exists, unless…"

"Those glowies, are them checking in, seeing how things are going, except."

"Except what?"

"There's more than one way to check in. Everything you see is suggestive, meaning I could be them at any time."

"Oh, great."

In slow motion, her eyes morphed from the crisp blue, the pupil lengthening and narrowing into the hideous yellow slits of a wraith, her teeth growing longer and translucent. Hissing, Seraph lunged forward and collided into Sheppard, who staggered back, his heel breaking off the last bit of edge of the cliff. As he started scrambling, reaching out to catch whatever he could, she shoved him again, at last breaking his connection with the solid ground. The sensation of falling made his stomach turn over as he desperately lashed out, trying to grab hold of something to slow his accelerating decent. A gnarled root stuck out from his mentally created cliff side, and he snapped his fingers shut, hoping the tendons connecting the hand to the rest of his body held strong. Wrenching pain raced down his arm into the strained socket keeping his limb connected to the rest of him as his body came to a halt in its plummet. A shout of pain escaped his lips as he looked up to see the white haired devil peer over the edge to look at him, "Damn you to hell!"

"If I already am the devil, wouldn't I be in hell?" She asked, her voice reverberating like so many wraith queens he had met in times past.

"So? Just making sure you stay there, and not in my life!" he snarled back, anger keeping his hold firm on the splintering root. He felt the fibrous wood give an inch, and dirt crumbled around it falling past Sheppard's feet to the depths below. A split second later, John was joining the clods as his root snapped from the added weight. The wind rushed past his ears as he watched the water come to meet him way too fast.

Xxxx

Sirens and screams filled the dazed colonel's ears as he thrashed around, trying to stop his falling. Ugly life sucking hands reached out to hold him back, keep him from leaving, but adrenaline was giving the man the benefit of the doubt. He leapt up, shoving past the devils incarnate, and he ran from the room. He darted into a shadowy area, watching as the drones ran past looking for him. Shaking his head, he tried to figure where he was.

"You are in a wraith lab." Came the whispery breathe inside his head.

"Whaa? You never leave, do you?" He growled, and then realized he might want to take his conversation mental, and not give his place away. "God, I'm crazy." He ran a sweaty palm down his face, listening hard for the heavy footsteps of his pursuers.

"You aren't crazy. The human psyche cannot handle two consciousnesses that easily." Her voice developed a very placating tone, like McKay trying to explain quantum physics to Ronon, aggravating the already half-crazy Sheppard.

"Just shut up." He peered around the edge of the stringy wall, glancing to see any enemies.

"You cannot just leave this hive."

"And why not?" He growled, tired of being told what to do, darting back when he saw two drones approaching. He slunk deeper into the shadows, shivering off the chill creeping up his legs and back. Looking down, he was in nothing more than a simple wraith version of a hospital smock. Heaving a deep sigh, he glanced around for some sort of clothing. "Where would wraith keep their slimy wardrobes?"

"I can help with that. But also, there is another reason you cannot just escape this hive without some forethought. And no, stealing a dart is not the planning I was referring to. You cannot remember how you arrived at this location?"

"No, I can't." Squirming slightly as he felt her literally rooting around in his memories, and then the door shifted open, and the flashbacks started.

_"Teyla, get Rodney out of here!" Sheppard had growled, shoving them forward and spinning to cover them with his p-90. He let fly a few dozen bullets to withdraw the wraith worshippers, but despite several of them falling to their deaths, the masses following them running over the corpses, with little more than a grimace. Ronon shot a few energy blasts, but with the team cut off from the jumper and McKay having a broken ankle, the chances of survival weren't good. Best bet, Sheppard thought to hide in the woods until dark which couldn't be more than a half hour away. Hopefully the sun followed a similar time pattern as most did. Unfortunately, the sun did not honor their wishes to set. With the odds stacked against them, they had been captured and held until the wraith had shown, the queen even gracing the worshippers with her loathsome presence. _

The images after that became hazy, but Sheppard had the gist, the rest of his team had been with him when he was captured, and hopefully were still on board and not somebody's snack.

"Do not worry; they had talked about using them as an incentive for your cooperation. They are alive, albeit in a cocoon."

"Why are you helping me?"

"The attack earlier, it was not from me. It was them trying to access your mind simply because there was a shift in your brain patterns and the ascension process had slowed."

"How do I know that you are not trying to belay my suspicions now?"

"If I were them, would they not have found you by now?"

"True." He thought it through for a moment, "So, I still don't understand exactly what you are. My subconscious talking to me, the wraith communicating with my unconscious mind, and what else? Oh, that's right a transmitter. Why haven't I ever seen you before if you are my subconscious mind?"

"Simply because you have never needed so much access to that part of your brain or the quantity of wraith drugs flowing through your veins. Perhaps it is also the advancement of your mind through the ascension process. I cannot explain it all, simply because you don't understand it all yet. I do not know any more than you do."

John sighed at her vague and obscure answer. "Alright, so I trust you again? How do I know when they'll hack my mind?"

"They cannot anymore. You are no longer attached to their equipment. Their telepathy has not been able to find you either. You are human, therefore able to hide in shadows. Any more questions?"

"Yes, where's my team?"

"Follow me." She whispered.

"How?" The soldier's brow wrinkled with confusion when he suddenly got the urge to go a specific direction. Skulking about in the dark crevasses that a hive ship is so abundant in, he made his way to the starboard side of the ship, to the storage compartment. Slowly following the aisles around, he recognized three faces of his compadres. Fighting the urge to rush up to them and yank them free, he turned to Seraph.

"Now what?"

"The timing of when we are here is perfect; it's the quietest time of day. You can walk up to them, and slice them out."

"First, how do you, er, I know this, and second, what am I slicing them out with?"

"I believe your 'gut' reasoned this one out and there's a drone's blade lying there."

"This is too easy." He murmured to himself as he cut through the cobweb-y material holding Ronon at bay. As the cold air hit the bare chest of the warrior, he sucked in a deep and painful breath before surging forward. Sheppard had to leap backwards to avoid being tackled by the angry man.

"Easy, big guy. It's just me." John whispered harshly, catching the dazed man's stare. Ronon shook his head hard, as if clearing his vision and mind. "Good. Now help me get Rodney and Teyla out."

Ronon stormed forward, tearing and shredding Teyla's cocoons as John finished freeing Rodney.

"Where am I?" shouted Rodney, his voice higher than normal as his body convulsed with shivers, eyes rolling back in his head.

"Shh. I'm getting you free." He whispered, rubbing Rodney's goosebumped arms, and fighting the nagging feeling the crap was going to hit the fan.

"Sheppard?" Teyla murmured as she was scooped up into Ronon's arms, ready to carry her to freedom.

"Ah, yes. Sheppard, the traitor for all Ancients," hissed a lone wraith as he sauntered from around the corner. "Did you even think for a moment we'd let all our hard work slip literally through our fingers?"

Sheppard stood square to their new threat, assessing him. The blade in his hand burned to be driven into wraith flesh, but in the corner they were backed into, there was no telling how many drones were around the corner. The wraith stood taller than the average creature, his eyes missing little. This monster had age under his belt, and was not trying to prove anything to his queen. He had a secure (well, as secure as you could get being wraith) position on the hive, and they were simply experimenting with concluding the battle they had been stalemated in.

He continued in his ghoulish voice. "Of course we anticipated your possible realization and see through our facade, although it took longer than we had expected from the hero the rumors have painted. I don't see why the galaxy seems to fear you so. Such a simple man, easily swayed by our planted information."

This was a severe game of chess, where the other party had the moves considered and countered them. A feeling of desperation tightened the colonel's throat that he fought to stuff back down. He shifted his glance to his team. Rodney was leaning again the cocoon he had just inhabited, and Ronon was glowering at the wraith while protecting Teyla, who seemed to be having an adverse reaction to whatever they had been drugged with. Her head lolled back on her neck, and her form was completely limp in Ronon's hold. Swallowing hard, he engaged the enemy.

"I did not start any of those rumors. I have nothing to live up to."

"But you do realize; you are ascending. Your body is going through the chemical changes; the physical manifestation of your consciousness will become superfluous and cease to exist. The question remains, will your mental activity mete up to the requirements for the superior beings plane of existence?"

"What do you want from me? I'm sick of your games and your stupid spy." He spat out the last few words, tired of being the sucker of a pretty face.

"We will let your friends go, if you stay and ascend properly and allowing our monitoring of you to continue."

Sheppard snorted a wry chuckle, "Like I believe you'd let them go. As soon as I give to your demands, you could very well kill them and I couldn't do a damn thing about it."

"That is very true. But one has to realize. We are desperate. If you do not get to the optimum level of brain activity, you will cease to exist. That is something we cannot let happen, not to one who so strongly carries the Ancient's gene. We are willing to barter with you. We have just pulled out of hyperspace by a portal; I believe you refer to it as a "stargate"." His mouth formed around the word as if it had a bad taste in his mouth. "We still have your transport ship in our dart bay, and they can fly out of here and through the stargate before your very eyes, if we were to have your full cooperation."

"And what happens after I ascend?"

"You are free to find your own way back to the land of the tangible."

Seraph appeared suddenly before him, "You cannot agree to this."

Rodney started squawking in the background. "If they ascend, then they wipe out the Ancients, and nothing holds them back from attacking us, or going anywhere in the galaxy. All humans are at danger."

"You cite a very valid point for argument, but this war does not involve the current Lanteans in any way. You might not've thought of the fact, if we are no longer physical, we won't have the needs to feed as we do now." He hissed and licked his lips with that last part, eyeing Teyla and Ronon.

"Wraith are not to be trusted. You have Michael to show for your efforts to trust Wraith. He is the worst bane to the galaxy, even worse than the creatures you are bartering with right now. They are not favorable to humans, viewing them as nothing more than cattle to herd and slaughter. The ancients do not have contact with humans because of their morality holding them back. Despite their insufferable holier-than-thou ways, they still have guidelines that they do not cross. Do you see these wraith ever upholding their end of the bargain?" Seraph was practically screaming at him, in a very controlled voice of course.

"Alright. I suppose I deal." He uttered his race's death sentence with the softest breaths, causing Rodney to sputter, "You cannot make deals with the devils in a hospital gown and your whole backend is hanging out for the world to see!"

"Rodney, if you have a p90 stuffed up your sleeve, now is the perfect time to pull it out. Until then, shut up and let me…"

"Make the dumbest of moves since you woke the wraith? I don't think so. Whatever is going on in that ascended head of yours, it is not reacting like anything I experienced. Where is your intelligence? Why hasn't it hit yet?"

Seraph popped into view again, "You might be right," she agreed before fading back out again.

He muttered under his breath, "Of course you're no help."

The wraith, Keith, had somehow signaled for his backup and four drones came around the corner, stunners in hand.

"March." One ordered, his breaths heavy into his mask and gesturing with his badly manicured hands. Sheppard had never noticed how disgusting green cuticles look in the light of a hive ship, kind of like moldy sausages. In fact, the whole hive reeked of a damp mildew-y bathroom. Sighing heavily, Sheppard nodded to his friends to head out to the puddle jumper. They slowly made their way to the dart bay, Ronon scowling his disapproval and McKay explaining in 10,000 words why this was going to end badly.

He tried to tune them out and focus on formulating a plan when his back tightened as he noticed how the heavy steps of the drones squelched into the soft ground covering. It rather sounded like the squish of a doctor playing around with ones insides, though how he knew that was exactly what it sounded like, he didn't want to know. Seraph whispered into his ear, "Anesthesia does not knock you completely out, your senses still pick up everything going on around you, just because you cannot recall it, does not mean you do not know it."

"I did not need to know that!"

Rodney spun around so fast that the one of the drones let out a stun blast, missing him by inches. Shouting a rather harsh expletive, McKay hit the deck with Ronon rushing forward, a menacing bulk of angry muscle ready to thrash some wraith hide, despite holding a full grown woman in his arms.

Sheppard watched all the reactionary movements of the green demons as if they were moving in slow motion; as their stance turned defensive and their fingers tightened on their triggers. He dove forward, shoving Ronon and Teyla to the floor and behind a corner, and then rolling into a preparatory spin to finish on his feet. Dragging McKay by the arm, he hauled him over to where he had just deposited Ronon.

"I thought we had a deal." he snarled, lowering into an attack crouch, thankful for all the hand to hand sparring he had done with Ronon. The drones ceased firing, and Keith looking all pissed at their shooting at his prized experiment.

"We have. These were too quick to fire and will be dealt with." he hissed and dismissed with a wave of his feeding hand.

As soon as the immediate threat was slipping away, Sheppard suddenly saw a crack of white light and went down, desperately pressing against his temples as if to push away the pain. The light continued to grow and envelope him until he was standing at the shores of Atlantis looking out over the ocean. Seraph touched his shoulder gently, causing his heart to leap in his chest as he turned around to face her. Her mouth was drawn into a tight line of concern.

"Crap, did I ascend?"

"No. However, you are running out of time. Your body is going to start decaying rapidly. If you are to save your team, you are going to have to do so immediately.

"How? I just collapsed into my subconscious!" He shouted, feeling his blood pressure spike, unsure if it was the frustration or his chemistry changing, but as hit a level he had never experienced, he knew his time was short.

"Do you feel that?" She murmured into his ear, her breath hot against his already feverish skin.

"I feel like my body is outta control speeding off like the delorean about to blow at 88pmh, and there is no way for me to back off the throttle and save my friends."

"I was not referring to that. I meant," she paused looking for the right word. "The buzzing."

Sheppard rolled back onto his heels. He could faintly make out the puddle jumper in the back of his mind, the ancient gene connecting to it. "How? I am nowhere near it."

"I believe," she stopped, looking over his shoulder at the sea.

"What? They are out there on their own, and won't leave without me." He snapped his fingers in front of her face.

Her eyes flashed, "Time passes slower in your mind. I believe your ancient gene is pulsing stronger and causing your connection to any ancient tech even shaper."

"So, you're telling me.."

"Activate." Her sentence cut off as he snapped back to reality. He was currently being dragged by his arms, behind a stunned Ronon and Teyla. Rodney was trailing behind, eyes wide with fear knowing he was about to fly the jumper and doubting his ability to fly in a straight line. Sheppard could almost see his mind whirling in a thousand different lines of thought trying how to figure to take everyone with him, not leaving his team leader behind.

Closing his eyes again and thankful for the squishy floor his backside was being dragged across, he reached out for the jumper controls. Imagining himself in the jumpers cockpit, he thought up activating the HUD, checking the entire ship over. No sign of tampering, he pulled up the weapons system and calculated the amount of weapons in reserve. He let a drone loose in the dart bay, making sure it headed away from the jumper's location. The ensuing explosion set off alarms of all sorts.

Sheppard dropped to the ground as the drones started running toward the cause of the alarm, leaving Keith hissing his frustration after them. Sheppard immediately leapt to his feet, patting down Ronon's hair and pulled out a recently sharpened blade. Tossing the knife into his right hand, he stood erect facing the wraith's back. Uncertainty filled him whether or not to creep forward, or try to find another weapon.

An anger spread in him causing him to surge forward and plunge the blade deep into the Wraith's back causing the monster to roar in agony. Yanking the blade back out through sinew and tissue, Sheppard dug the blade in again, into where the creature's life sustaining organ beat in his chest. The last stab wound was already starting to heal as Sheppard twisted the blade in the fresh laceration causing "Keith" to writhe and spin around to swing desperately at his antagonist. Sheppard danced back as he watched the wraith's flesh close over the end of the blade, but the damage had already begun to occur. Blood started running freely from the wraith's mouth as he staggered toward Sheppard and collapsed as water started to mix with the bloody discharge. His death rattle couldn't have been a more distressful relief.

Free of wraith at the moment, he finally removed himself from "battle mode" and began taking in stimuli again in time to hear the constant babbling of a very in-shock McKay.

"Help me wake them." He cut through the blathering and started shaking Ronon awake. The man slowly came to but then jolted up snarling. "Come on, let's go." Ronon scooped up Teyla and a wraith stunner and started running toward the other end of the dart bay. John and Rodney respectively both armed themselves and followed suit.

As they ran through the corridors of the hive, Sheppard started to feel light-headed and he staggered into one of the walls. Rodney shrieked for Ronon to stop as John slumped to the ground.

"Hurry," he slurred. "I'm ascending." Then the world went black.

**A/N: So, i ended up deciding that the rest will be posted as another chapter. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Aw thank you guys for the kind comments. I know this was unbeta'd so thank you for seeing past all my mistakes that I and spellcheck had missed. This is the final chapter. Granted it is short, but I always get sad when it comes to an end. :(**

He was standing on the other side of the fence looking in at an air force base, watching the numerous soldiers run around for a drill. He looked on as the pilot climbed up the side ladder into the cockpit, run through the checklists that Sheppard had done so many times, and shut the canopy before taking off for a mach 1 run. The excitement that ran from the tip of his toes to the end of his hair had the same intense purity of when he had first witnessed it at the impressionable age of 8.

A soft voice filled his ears, drowning out the jet engines powering up. "This was a poignant day in your life; it changed your destiny to what you are today."

"What am I today?"

"You are a soldier willing to give your life for what you believe in, not one that sits on the sidelines and shuffles the papers in order to preserve your own comfortable way of living. That is why you could complete the ascension successfully."

He spun to face her. "I've ascended?"

"Not this time." She faded away.

"Then where am I?" He asked as the light surrounding him started to dim and he could hear faint beeping in the background. He closed his eyes and when he reopened them, he lay in the very familiar infirmary of Atlantis.

"He lives!" McKay shouted. "Jennifer. Come quick."

The next face that Sheppard saw was the pretty blonde doctor leaning over him, smiling as she checked his stats and his pupils' reaction time.

"You're going to be ok, Colonel. Gave us quite the scare, thought we almost lost you to the Ascended. McKay found the ascension device in storage and we reversed the process."

"I saved your life than just that way!" the scientist was literally bouncing on his toes, "I dragged to you to the jumper once you collapsed, and then I flew the jumper through the stargate and got us home all before it was too late to save you. Even Carter was impressed." He paused for a quick breath before continuing, "I gotta go get Ronon, let him know you woke up." He scurried out before John could even respond.

Sheppard didn't trust his own voice but he had to ask, "Where's Teyla?"

Jen looked over at him, "She's doing much better now that her system has purged the remnants of that drug the Wraith injected her with. She's asleep for right now, but I suggest before you insist on leaving the infirmary, you should stay through the rest of the night. Ok?"

He was exhausted and for once didn't feel like arguing. "Ok. Thanks doc."

"I'll see you in the morning." She smiled as she left, passing Rodney and Ronon on their way in.

"Hey buddy." Sheppard grinned up at Ronon who gently punched him in the shoulder.

"Glad you decided to stick around."

"Of course, I couldn't give you guys up, not even for the chance to play god." He glanced over at Rodney, "What's the matter?"

"I thought you really were going to give the Wraith the path to ascension, and it got me thinking."

"Uh oh."

"No, seriously. Think about it. If Wraith can start the path of ascension, but not complete it. They are stuck in limbo right? Then we make a device that sticks them all in limbo. Poof. Gone. Wouldn't that work?"

"How much caffeine have you had today, Rodney?"

"Only 8 cups. I've cut back." The pudgy man was almost giddy with his idea. "I've got to go tell Zelenka. I'll be back later." He disappeared before Sheppard could respond.

"I've got to get some sleep." Ronon said before he turned to pull up a chair.

"Night Chewie." Sheppard said, thankful for all of his friends. As he felt his eyelids grow heavy, he realized how exhausted he really was. Once his eyes closed, he felt her breathing next to his ear.

"Seraph?"

"I came to say goodbye. You will not need me anymore."

"I'm not sure my sanity could take it, but if I ever am in a jam, I wouldn't mind a visit once in a while."

He felt her smile in the dark, "You have made it this far in life without my manifestation, I am sure you could go on without me." Her voice started to seem further away, as though the connection was passing over a longer distance.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you the whole time, but…"

"You couldn't have known who was what. But, your subconscious is your own now."

"Goodbye Seraph."

Her presence slipped away, leaving Sheppard feeling very empty but satisfied. Though, this was something he was probably going to keep to himself. He wasn't even sure of his own sanity of the event, much less trying to explain it to someone else. Regardless of the means to surviving, at the end of the day, his team was safe and alive, Atlantis was ready to fight another day, and they had one more bit of knowledge of the Wraith's world that could be used as a means to defeat them. All in all, it turned out pretty darn good. Now, he just needed to catch up on his sleep to be ready for whatever else the Pegasus galaxy had to throw at him. He sighed softly as he let sleep overtake his tired mind and drifted into a deep, _dreamless_ slumber, safe at last.


End file.
